John lofttjs



(No Model.)

J.LOFTUS. I DETAOHABLE COUPLER FOR CONNECTING SUPPLY PIPES 0F STEAMHEATING APPARATUS PORRAILWAY CARS. No. 409,109. Patented Aug. 13, 1889.7

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MAAANKA N. PETERS, Phoio-Uthognphan Wauhingtqn. 'n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LOFTUS, OF ALBANY, NEl/V YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EZRA W.SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

DETACHABLE COUPLER FOR CONNECTING SUPPLY-PIPES OF STEAM-HEATINGAPPARATUS FOR RAILWAY- CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,109, dated August13, 1889.

Application filed February 15, 1889- Serial No. 299,986. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN LOFTUs, of the city and county of Albany, inthe State of New York, have invented new and useful 5 Improvements inDetachable Couplers for Connecting Supply-Pipes of Steam-HeatingApparatus for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in I couplers for connecting thesteam-supply pipes 0t several cars when connected together to form atrain, so that steam can be conveyed from the head to therear of thetrain and supplied to the steam-radiators of each I car in the train;and the object of my improvement is to provide a coupler that will besufliciently flexible to yield to the swaying movement of the cars andreadily separable manually in detaching the cars from each other whenstanding quiescently and automatically when the train is broken apartaccidentally. This object I attain by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, which are herein referred to and form 5 part ofthis specification, and in which Figure 1 is a plan View of a pair of mycouplers connected together. Fig. 2 isahorizontal section of the same.Fig. 3 is an enlarged end elevation of one of my couplers.

3 Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one of my couplers, a portion ofthe spring-cylinder being removed for the purpose of exposing thecontained parts; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a pair of thepacking-seats of the con- 3 5 joining ends of my couplers.

As represented in the drawings, A is the steam-supply pipe by which thecars are supplied with steam for the radiators of their steam-heatingsystems, and in said drawings Figs. 1 and 2 show the conjoining ends ofthe steam-supply pipe of two connected cars. Each of said pipes isprovided with an enlarging fixture 1, which is adapted to screw onto theend of the steam-supply pipe A.

B is a cylinder thatis secured tothe fixture 1, and forms a prolongationof the steamsupply pipeA at each end of a car. Said cylinder contains asliding joint O,which has on its inner end a spherical enlargement 2,

whose diameter fits easily into the bore of said cylinder. A sleeve 3,whose cup-shaped flange 4 fits the convex surface of the sphericalenlargement of the sliding joint 0, permits the outer end of the latterto swing laterally in any direction in the manner of a ball-and-socketjoint. Packing 5, preferably of fibrous material, is inserted in theannular space formed between the bore of the cylinder B and the outersurface of the sleeve 3, said packing being used for the purpose ofobtaining a steam-tight joint for the sliding joint 0 inside of thecylinder B. An annular gland 6 is fitted to bear upon said packing, andis held in contact therewith by means of a spring 7, which exerts itspressure thereon. Said spring, when the couplers are connected together,is compressed, as shown in Fig. 2; but when the couplers are separated,as shown in Fig. 4, said spring expands to force the sliding joint Coutwardly toward 7o theopen end of the cylinder B, and at the same timemaintains its pressure against the gland 6 at every point of themovement of the sliding joint 0.

D is a joint-packing seat or section of a coupler, which is secured tothe outer end of the sliding joint 0, and is adapted to engage with alike part of a sliding joint of the steamsupply pipe of a conjoinin gcar; and it should be understood that an entire coupler is formed by twosuch sections which are adapted to be clamped together to form asteam-tight joint at the conjoining ends of the steamsupply pipes of twocars when the latter are connected together in the formation of a train.

In the outer face of each of said packinghaving on its rearmost face apoint 10, formed. by the junction of an inner concave line and an outerconvexline. l)iametrically opposite to said catch-piece an eye 11 isformed, and in said eyean eyebolt or joint-piece 12 is fitted to receivea slight sliding movement against the resistance of a coiled spring 113,which normally holds the head of said joint-piece closed upon the outerface of the eye 1]. Iivoted to said eyebolt, as at 14, is a belLcrankhandle 15, which is bifurcated to pass over the catch-piece 9, and atthe bend of said handle a friction-roller 10 is journaled, said rollerbeing fitted to roll over the convex surface of the catch-piece 9, thespring 13 yielding for that purpose, and, after passing the point 10,engaging in the concave under said point to lock that side of thecoupler.

E is a check-chain, one end of which is attached to the handle 15, sothat its point of attachment will lie outside of the pivot 1i, and theopposite end is secured to the cylinder B of the same coupler, or tosome ad jacent st-ationary part of the steam-supply pipe or of the carto which said coupler is attached. Said checlechain is provided for thepurpose of automatically releasing the handle 15 from its engagementwith a catch-piece of a coupler connected thereto whenever anyaccidental separation of the cars of the train may occur; and to effectthat purpose said check-chain should be of such length that it willprevent the spherical enlargement 2 from being drawn out of the cylinder13. The handle 15can be Operated by hand when the cars are to beuncoupled in the usual manner, and when the cars are separated, eitherby accident or design, the spring 7 will push the sliding joint 0outwardly as far as the check-chain E will permit it to go, and justbefore that limit is reached said chain will cause the outer end of thesliding joint C to swing sidewise, so that the body of the latter willengage in a notch 18, formed in one side of the outer end of thecylinder l3, and by said notch the sliding joint 0 will be held fromfalling down below its required horizontal position.

Each packing-seat D is provided with guide lugs 17, which arediametrically opposite each other, and which will guide two conjoiningpackingseats in such manner that the handle of one will be in positionto engage with the catch-piece of the other.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Two conjoining cars of atrain, which are connected together by car-couplings in the ordinarymanner, and whose steam-supply pipes are connected together by mycoupling device, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, become separated by anyaccident that is liable to occur, and thereby an unusual and excessivestrain is thrown on the coupling device of said steam-supply pipe,beyond the strain it is designed to withstand, and by this strain thetwo parts of the coupler are drawn apart, the two sliding joints 0 beingdrawn outwardly in their respective cylinders 1; until their respectivecheck-chains E draw back the handles 15 from their engagement with thecatch-pieces 9 of the other part of the coupling, and thereby the twocouplers are left entirely free and separated, and the car remaininginthe part ofthetrain to which the motive power remains attached is freeto move forward without; the other. In accomplishing this separation thetwo sliding joints 0 are moved outwardly in their respective cylinders1-3, first, by the strain that eitects the separation, and, second, bythe springs 7, until the outward movement of said sliding joint isterminated by the Cl1OGk-Olltll1SE. In effecting a separation of mycouplers designedly, the relcasement of the handles 15 from thecatch-pieces is effected by hand be fore a separation of the cars isattempted. Then, as the two cars are moved apart, the springs '7 forcethe sliding joints 0 outwardly in the manner above described. Torecouplc my device, the two cars are moved together to fasten themtogether, and simultaneously therewith the outer ends of the two slidingjoints (J are moved into correspondence, so that when the cars haveattained a position to permit the car-couplings to secure them together,said sliding joints will be forced inwardly, thereby compressing thesprings 7, leaving the handles 15 in position to be readily engaged withthe catch-pieces t).

13y reason of the spherical enlargement of the sliding joints 0, ampleprovision is made for permitting the ordinary variations of themovements of the different cars, as when passing around curves,inequalities of the roadbed, or from other causes.

I claim as my invention- 1. A coupler for connecting steam-pipes ofrailway-cars, consisting of an openended cylinder that is connected tosaid steam-pipe andcontains a sliding joint provided with a sphericalenlargement fitted to slide in the bore of said cylinder, a sleeveprovided with a cup-shaped flange, which tits upon the convex surface ofsaid spherical enlargement, a packing contained in the annular spaceformed by said sleeve and the bore of said cylinder, a packingglandfitted to slide free] y in said cylinder and to bear upon said packin g,a spring bearing upon said gland forthe purpose of compressing saidpacking and to force said sliding joint outwardly in said cylinder,apackin seat secured to the outer end of said sliding joint and providedwith a locking device, whereby a pair of said couplers can be mutuallysecured together, as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. In a detachable coupler for connecting the steain-heating pipes ofrailway-cars, the combination of an open-ended stationary cylinder thatis connected to the steam-supply pipe and has a notch formed in the sideof its open end, a sliding joint provided with a spherical enlargementwhich is titted to slide in said cylinder and has at its outer end alever-locking device which is connected by ITO check-chain to astationary part of the pipes or car, a sleeve provided with a cup-shapedseat, which is fitted to receive the spherical enlargement of thesliding joint, a packinggland fitted'to compress the packing in theannular space between said sleeve and the bore of the stationarycylinder, and a spring which bears upon said gland to force the slidingjoint outwardly, said check-chain being arranged to produce adisengagement of said to locking device and to deflect said slidingjoint laterally into the notch of the stationary cylinder, as and forthe purpose herein specified.

JOHN LOFTUS.

WVitnesses:

WM. H. Low, S. B. BREWER.

